Proofreader&Editor: Howard Hong
Junior Brother Chengkun, as if seeing you in person through your letter!
The last Golden Elixir has been found, our little junior sister's life is no longer in danger!
We had an agreement, whoever obtained more Golden Elixirs would have the right to propose to our junior sister!
Out of five Golden Elixirs, this foolish brother now possesses three!
However, to secure the last Golden Elixir, I made a pact with a female ghost, agreeing to offer my flesh and blood, to plunge into the endless purgatory, aiding her cultivation!
I have assisted the wicked and become a lackey to evil forces, shaming our ancestors and fellow disciples. Death seems to be the best release!
I was merely too passionate, yet the ignorant call me a 'lickspittle'!
I shall depart!
Junior sister's future I entrust to you!
Wishing you happiness!
The letter ended halfway through.
The other half must have been added by Lu Chenglun later on.
Reflecting on my life, the first half spent in the pursuit of immortality, the latter half wandering in search of elixirs, not a single disciple to pass on my mantle!
The one who delivers this letter must be a person of exemplary character.
If they are willing, they may become my disciple. Please, Junior Brother, teach them my ways, I am eternally grateful!
The letter concluded there.
After reading the letter, Wen Rou and I were silent for a long time.
After a while, Wen Rou sighed, "Who would have thought such a devoted man still exists in this world!"
I disagreed.
What devotion? This is simply being a 'lickspittle'!
Lickspittle, lickspittle, all that licking and ending up with nothing!
Lu Chenglun has truly taught me a lesson!
I carefully stored the letter, pretending to talk to myself, I slowly said, "This Daoist even wanted to take me as his disciple!"
Wen Rou spoke softly, "I know you won, so tell me, what do you want me to do?"
I replied, "Haven't thought of it yet!"
Wen Rou urged, "Then quickly!"
I said, "Even if it's something outrageous, you can't refuse!"
"Of course!" Wen Rou declared, "A bet is a bet!"
"Alright then!"
I said, "Bite me!"
"Bite you?" Wen Rou frowned, "What kind of request is that?"
I said, "You need to read the word 'bite' separately!"
"Read separately…"
(Proofreader : the Chinese word '咬'(bite), when read separately, means 'blow job')
Halfway through her sentence, Wen Rou's face flushed with realization.
It was just a casual joke on my part.
But after hesitating for a moment, Wen Rou actually got up and knelt before me…
***
At two o'clock in the morning, the bus arrived at our destination.
So did Wen Rou and I.
"Everyone wake up, we've arrived!"
The female tour guide announced through a megaphone, "Please take your belongings and disembark in an orderly fashion! At the Jinjiang Heart Hotel, check-in with your ID and collect your room card!"
The lights in the bus cabin came on.
Wen Rou, too embarrassed to look at me, grabbed her bag and covered her mouth, rushing off the bus as if fleeing.
Watching her hurried departure, I reminisced about what had just happened, a dreamlike memory to be cherished.
I grabbed my luggage and followed the crowd off the bus.
The tour guide hadn't mispronounced the name; it was indeed the Jinjiang Heart Hotel!
A knockoff brand!
Otherwise, this tour wouldn't have been so cheap!
My room was on the fourth floor.
After swiping the card to enter and inserting it into the power slot, the room lit up.
Despite being a knockoff brand, the hotel's facilities weren't bad, at least clean, and it had everything one would need, like toiletries, a hairdryer, disposable slippers, and so on.
I carefully cleaned myself, avoiding my back, and prepared to sleep.
Just as I lay down, the doorbell suddenly rang.
To my surprise, it was Wen Rou at the door.
Wen Rou must have just taken a shower, wearing a nightgown with her hair still damp despite being blow-dried.
"Why are you here?"
I was a bit surprised.
Wen Rou sighed, "His snoring was so loud, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come over and chat with you!"
"Sounds good!"
I said, "It's too dangerous to be with him; it's safer here with me!"
After entering, Wen Rou was taken aback, "Your room… why is there only one bed?"
I replied, "I'm alone, of course, I booked a double bed room!"
Wen Rou said, "I thought they were all twin rooms!"
Having already entered, Wen Rou felt awkward about leaving immediately and sat tentatively on the bed's edge, "I hope I didn't disturb your sleep?"
I glanced at the time, yawned deeply, and said, "What time is it now, what do you think?"
Wen Rou stood up, "Should I go back then?"
"Don't!"
I reached out and held her back, "You hadn't mentioned safety concerns, but now that I'm aware, I definitely can't let you go!"
Wen Rou said, "This isn't right, if someone sees us, they'll talk!"
I replied, "You weren't afraid in the bus, why worry now!" After speaking, I turned off the light.
Wen Rou hesitated for a while but eventually joined me.
In the darkness, neither of us spoke, yet we could clearly hear each other's heartbeat.
Of course, apart from the heartbeats, there were intermittent moans from the room next door.
That's the thing with knockoffs.
The room looked decent on the surface, but the soundproofing was terrible!
We're all adults.
With things progressing to this point, what followed was simply a natural course of events.
In the dark, Wen Rou and I clung to each other like two magnets, unwilling to part for a long time.
***
Dawn broke.
Looking at the woman sleeping beside me, I felt a wave of contentment.
After a quick wash-up.
I took the golden gourd and the letter, ready to take care of business!
Perhaps I was too noisy, and soon Wen Rou woke up, rubbing her eyes, "Why are you up so early?"
I said, "I'm going to settle Daoist Lu's affairs, then I can devote myself to you!"
"Wait, I'll come with you!"
Wen Rou immediately sat up.
I said, "You should sleep a bit more, we can have lunch together when I get back!"
"No way!"
Wen Rou insisted, "For some reason, I have a feeling that this matter isn't so simple!"
I said, "Daoist Lu's letter was very clear, what's there to doubt?"
Wen Rou replied, "I can't put my finger on it, but I just can't shake this feeling!"
"Alright!" I said, "Actually, I'm also a bit worried about leaving you here alone!"
Wen Rou smiled sweetly.
It was six in the morning.
Most people were still asleep.
Wen Rou and I left the room and the hotel without encountering anyone we knew.
We had a simple breakfast downstairs and walked towards Longhu Mountain.
Today seemed to be a special day; Longhu Mountain was festooned with decorations, and even the trees bore large "happiness" characters.
Wen Rou curiously asked, "Do they also hold weddings in the Taoist temple?"
I explained, "Monks can't marry, but Taoist priests can, they call them Daoist couples!"
A lady was selling incense by the road.
Wen Rou approached her to inquire, "Auntie, is there a wedding happening on Longhu Mountain soon?"
The auntie looked at us without speaking but pointed at the incense in her basket.
Wen Rou quickly bought two sticks.
Only then did the auntie speak, "In three days, two elders will become Daoist couples! One is named Zhao Chengkun, and the other is the sect leader's daughter and Zhao's junior sister, named Zhang Li!"
Hearing this, Wen Rou and I exchanged a surprised glance!
According to Lu Chenglun's letter, Zhao Chengkun only had two Golden Elixirs and shouldn't be able to confess to Zhang Li!
Of course, if Zhang Li was the one pursuing him, that would be a different story!
Wen Rou thought for a moment, then asked, "Auntie, isn't there a Daoist named Lu Chenglun on Longhu Mountain?"
"Lu Chenglun?" The auntie replied, "There used to be someone by that name, but he was expelled from the sect for constantly engaging in grave robbing and swindling money!"
Wen Rou pressed, "What happened to him afterward?"
The auntie shook her head, "I'm not sure about that!"
"Okay, thank you, Auntie!"
Wen Rou pulled me aside, her expression grave, "My instincts were right, there's definitely something off about this Zhao Chengkun!"
I also sensed something amiss but hadn't pieced it together yet. I asked casually, "Do you have a plan?"
Wen Rou replied, "Meeting Zhao Chengkun is out of the question; it's too dangerous! If we can find a way to meet Zhang Li, perhaps the truth will come out!"
As we were discussing, a young Taoist came down the mountain.
The young Taoist was about fifteen or sixteen, holding a portrait and asking everyone he met, "Excuse me, have you seen this person?"
Wen Rou glanced at it and immediately turned to leave with me!
I asked, "What's wrong?"
Wen Rou said, "That young Taoist's portrait looks like you!"
"Me?"
I was confused, "How would he know me?"
Wen Rou analyzed, "Your golden gourd was exposed last night; not only did the demons see it, but everyone on the bus did too. It's normal for Longhu Mountain to be aware of this!"
A chill ran through me, "Could it be that Zhao Chengkun wants to capture me?"
Wen Rou said, "Let's not worry about that for now. We need to find a safe place to hide and then figure out how to meet Zhang Li!"